Osahen Fires Ministers …Over Early Race To Succeed Mahama

The Minority Leader in Parliament, Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, has accused senior figures within the ruling NDC government of abandoning governance for an early succession contest, warning that the growing race to replace President John Dramani Mahama is distracting ministers from pressing national crises.

In a strongly-worded statement read on his behalf by Madam Patricia Appiaggyei, his deputy, on the floor of Parliament yesterday, Afenyo-Markin said the government was increasingly consumed by internal political ambitions, while Ghanaians battle worsening economic and social hardships. The Effutu MP claimed the governing administration was losing focus barely sixteen months into its tenure.

Under the heading: “The Race to Replace the President: Who is Governing Ghana?”, the Minority Leader argued that senior government appointees had become preoccupied with positioning themselves for the 2028 presidential race, instead of addressing the country’s immediate challenges.

According to him, concerns over the early succession campaign had even emerged from within the Presidency itself. He cited an opinion article published in the Daily Graphic on May 5, 2026  by the President’s Executive Secretary, Dr. Callistus Mahama, titled “Before the Race Begins: A Call for Discipline, Reflection and Duty.”

Quoting portions of the article, Afenyo-Markin said the Executive Secretary warned that “barely a year and a half into this mandate, the conversation about succession in 2028 risks arriving before the foundations of recovery have even been firmly laid.”
He further quoted the article as describing the situation as “a quiet form of neglect,” adding that “the clock is not yet ticking toward succession; it is ticking toward delivery.”

The minority leader told Parliament that when a sitting President’s own Executive Secretary publicly appealed to government officials to stop campaigning and concentrate on governance, it reflected a government losing grip of its priorities.
“Ghana remains under an IMF programme. Debt restructuring is incomplete. Dumsor is back. Farmers are in distress. The people appointed to solve these problems are focused on replacing the man who appointed them,” he declared.

He subsequently called on President Mahama to “enforce real discipline” within his administration, insisting that ministers who could not separate governance from political ambition “should be asked to choose.”

Dumsor Returns
The Minority Leader also launched a fresh attack on the government over the return of erratic power supply, popularly known as dumsor. He alleged that communities across the country were once again experiencing prolonged and unpredictable outages despite campaign promises by the NDC to end the crisis.

According to him, businesses were losing money, hospitals were under pressure and students were being forced to study with candles in a country capable of generating its own electricity.

Afenyo-Markin claimed the economic losses from the outages were estimated at about $320 million annually in lost productivity.
He referenced the Akosombo Power Control Centre fire and the suspension of the GRIDCo Chief Executive Officer as warning signs that were allegedly ignored by the authorities. The Minority Leader demanded that the Energy Minister appear before Parliament with what he described as a “credible, costed and time-bound” plan to end load-shedding.

Athletics Championship Embarrassment
Turning to sports, Afenyo-Markin described Ghana’s hosting of the 24th African Senior Athletics Championships at the University of Ghana Stadium as an “international embarrassment.”

He accused the Sports Ministry of gross incompetence despite having nearly two years to prepare for the continental event. The Minority Leader cited reports of inadequate accommodation, poor feeding arrangements, transportation delays, malfunctioning timing systems and internet failures at the media centre.

According to him, Ghana’s image suffered severe reputational damage after complaints from participating athletes went viral across international media platforms. He linked the controversy directly to Ghana’s preparations for the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup campaign, where the Black Stars are expected to face Panama, England and Croatia.

Afenyo-Markin questioned whether the same ministry that struggled to organise the athletics championship could adequately support the Black Stars on the global stage. “The level of incompetence that attended the African Athletics Championships must not manifest in Ghana’s World Cup campaign,” he warned.

The Minority Caucus therefore demanded a full parliamentary investigation into the athletics championship fiasco and insisted that the Minister for Youth and Sports appear before the full House to answer questions. The caucus also called for a written World Cup preparedness plan to be submitted to Parliament before the end of the month.

Ghanaians Abroad
On the safety of Ghanaians living abroad, the Minority Leader acknowledged steps taken by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs concerning xenophobic attacks in South Africa, but maintained that government intervention came too late.

He credited sustained pressure from the Minority Caucus and his intervention at the ECOWAS Parliament in Abuja for forcing urgency on the matter. Afenyo-Markin disclosed that the ECOWAS Parliament had directed its Committee on Political Affairs to investigate attacks on Ghanaians and other West Africans in South Africa following concerns he raised during proceedings.

He admitted that the Foreign Affairs Ministry had engaged South African authorities and initiated evacuation measures for affected Ghanaians, but argued that the government’s initial response lacked urgency.
The Minority Leader further called on government to establish a formal early warning and emergency response framework for protecting Ghanaians abroad.

He also demanded a comprehensive reintegration programme for returnees evacuated from South Africa.

 

 

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